Gartmore Estate is situated next to the village of Gartmore in West Stirlinghshire. The main property, Gartmore House, was built in 18th Century and was home to Scottish politician and author Robert Cunninghame Graham. He was a founding member of both the Scottish Labour Party and Scottish National Party. We recently featured Robert Cunninghame Graham and Gartmore Estate as part of our ‘40 items on our 40th year’ series. Details of the estate and house from the 17th Century until 1900 can be found here.
Gartmore Estate was taken over by Conservative MP Sir Charles Cayzer in 1900 after Cunninghame was forced to sell in order to pay death duties. Born in 1843 in Limehouse, London, Cayzer was a very successful ship-owner and businessman who became the MP for Barrow-in Furness in 1892.
Cayzer was knighted in 1897 and owned several estates across Scotland. His fortune was amassed through several successful shipping business which ran between India, South Africa and Britain. He also owned another estate, Newtyle in Forfarshire, as well as a holiday home in Cove, Argyll and Bute.
Our featured plans for Gartmore Estate date from 1909 and were drafted by David Barclay. They concern the addition of a new dwelling house along with alternations to Cashley Farm near Buchlyvie. In the second set of plans, a shooting lodge was built on the estate in the same area.
Born in Glasgow in 1846, David Barclay was part of the Barclay & Watt practice, which also included his brother Hugh Barclay. The practice, however, ran into trouble and in 1871 David joined his brother Hugh in forming H & D Barclay. Hugh Barclay died in 1891 and David continued the practice in his absence. David Barclay worked on several notable buildings including the Greenock Municipal buildings, the David Stow building at Jordanhill College, the church of St George’s-in-the-Fields in Glasgow, and various schools in the West of Scotland.
The plans highlight the wealth and extent to which Charles Cayzer could expand his estate. The plans also outline the agriculture side of the estate by detailing the necessary requirements for a piggery, stables, dung house and a scullery and milk house.
On 28th September 1916 a small article appeared in the Stirling Journal notifying readers of the sudden deterioration in Cayzers health at Gartmore. He would die later that day with his obituary appearing in the paper a week later.
For more information on David Barclay click here
For more information on Charles Cayzer click here
